Ex-City defender Richard Edghill has told how the club became a ‘circus’ as it went through THREE chairmen and NINE managers during his time with the Blues.

The retired defender has lifted the lid on what life was like in the dressing room throughout his decade at Maine Road in his autobiography, Once A Blue Always A Blue.

In the second of MEN Sport’s three-part serialisation of the book, today we look at his views on the three City chairmen he played under, Peter Swales, Franny Lee and David Bernstein.

On Peter Swales during the Peter Reid era

Peter Swales brought in John Maddock, one of his mates from the papers.

Maddock was known for his work for the Daily Express and The People and was also involved with one of Manchester’s failed Olympic bids.

Swales, like so many times in his failed leadership, pressed the panic button and he knew that if he sacked Reid the crowd would be on his back again like so many times previously during his long reign.

However, the decision to bring Maddock in as a director of football with the power to veto any decision made by Peter was basically just a way of sacking him indirectly.

It was a charade which was to backfire on Swales spectacularly.

On life for Swales after Reid’s dismissal

Maine Road resembled a war zone and the war was being played out very publicly in the media.

It was to move up a notch again shortly afterwards when former hero Franny Lee went public with his intention to buy the club and did it through the papers which angered Swales.

The week before my debut, City fans demonstrated against Swales at the home game against QPR.

‘We want Swales out...Said we want Swales out’ the Kippax chanted.

There were crowds blocking the main entrance before and after the game and this was a sight which was to become all too familiar during my days at the club.

Unhappy fans demonstrating for change outside the ground.

Back in the autumn of 1993 it was a cauldron of hate inside the ground as the Swales out campaign was in full swing.

Some fans were staying away in protest at the regime, while those who decided to attend matches were incredibly vociferous in their criticism of the chairman and playing at right-back I could feel the venom as I moved up the right hand side of the

Kippax from the Platt Lane corner.

On Franny Lee

The takeover which had dragged on for months finally went through after Swales was struggling to find the money to pay the Alan Kernaghan transfer fee and Franny Lee, much to the delight of the City faithful, replaced him.

Franny had returned and in the first game in a carnival atmosphere we beat Ipswich again.

On Lee’s first full season as chairman

The club had lost the old Kippax Street stand, a major source of income, and it was a time of great change off the park. Money which would have gone on players had to go on rebuilding the stadium.